Bethlehem

American  

[beth-li-hem, -lee-uhm] / ˈbɛθ lɪˌhɛm, -li əm /

noun

1. a town in NW Jordan, near Jerusalem; occupied by Israel since 1967: birthplace of Jesus and David.

2. a city in E Pennsylvania.

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Bethlehem British  

/ ˈbɛθlɪˌhɛm, -lɪəm /

noun

1. a town in the West Bank, near Jerusalem: birthplace of Jesus and early home of King David

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Bethlehem Cultural  

1. The village near Jerusalem (see also Jerusalem) where Jesus was born. (See Nativity.)

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Example Sentences

The uplighted orrery glows on the faces of two boys who lean into the circuits of solar orbit as it once glowed on the faces of the shepherds and magi at the crib in Bethlehem.

From The Wall Street Journal • Mar. 14, 2026

Battalions are gathered on the banks of Portland, Ore.; Bethlehem; Charlotte, N.C.;

From Los Angeles Times • Feb. 19, 2026

“My father was a steelworker at Bethlehem Steel. When he came out of high school, it was just about having a strong work ethic and a strong back,” he said.

From The Wall Street Journal • Jan. 30, 2026

The children took the ominous message from Israeli authorities to Muhannad Abu Srour, sports director at the Aida Youth Centre in the camp near Bethlehem, and the news was not good.

From Barron's • Dec. 19, 2025

In one verse a donkey speaks: I, said the donkey, shaggy and brown, I carried His mother up hill and down, I carried her safely to Bethlehem town, I, said the donkey, shaggy and brown.

From "Habibi" by Naomi Shihab Nye